Hands, everyone.
Thanks.
Bad guy gone horror story, now gone away, buried at sea they say.
Hell?
Hmmm.
We mustn't.
Really.
It's not our place.
Who's to say.
Maybe...maybe not.
But,
hell is a real place.
It's a place reserved for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25:41).
I've heard people say, "I'll party with my friends in hell."
Ah, definitely not.
Not the place for parties and celebrations - that place is heaven.
Hell is the place of torment, horror,and anything gruesome and gross.
Ever suffer horrendous pain...it'll be worse than that.
I read Dante Alighieri's "Inferno"as a senior in high school.
'Wonder what hell could be like?
Dante's imagination took us on quite a trip.
Some parts I remember...if you were doing things behind people's backs, your head would be on backwards for all eternity. Oh and there were those who took money for religious gain - head first in a hole in a rock with flames burning the soles of their feet, forever. Or, gluttons, lying sightless in vile slush, while ceaseless foul, icy rain falls on them forever. Oh, and liars - a disease to society themselves; they are afflicted with horrible diseases forever. Traitors like Cain, who killed his brother Abel (those are the names used in the book) are in ice up to their faces, forever and ever.
The quote that stands out from the book - "Lasciate ogne speranza, voi ch'intrate," which means, "Abandon all hope who enter here."
Did Usama Bin Laden go there?
Hmmm....
Ultimately it's our choice where we go.
God doesn't "send" people there.
He sent his only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in him, will not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16).
It's a free gift from God because of His love (Romans 6:23).
But...
Not everyone chooses life.
Not everyone wants to know the Giver of life.
A good God does not send people to hell.
A good God does not make people do bad things.
It's a choice.
In the Bible it says, "Choose you this day who you will serve.
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua24:15)
Did Usama serve the living, eternal God?
I know God has a way of reaching every single person.
He's God. He can.
Whether Usama reached out to Him in the end, I don't know.
Maybe we have our doubts.
Maybe they are well founded.
What I do know is the world is free from a man who practiced wickedness, and killed countless, innocent people.
God has a place reserved for each of us. It's up to us whether we accept it.
What about the other guy?
He's been invited.
The RSVP is in his hands.
In the end, it's up to him.
